Music Biz Wants To Block Pirate Bay….Plus 260 Additional Sites

At the end of this month a hearing will take place to help decide
the fate of The Pirate Bay in Ireland. The major labels want the site
blocked by a handful of ISPs that are at the moment digging in their
heels and refusing to comply. The issue is particularly important, and
not only for The Pirate Bay and its users. The labels have indicated to
the court that they actually want more than one site blocked – in fact
they have a list of 260 others.Copyright
activists often warn that a ruling in one case has the potential to be
leveraged elsewhere and the wedge can become thicker frighteningly
quickly if issues aren’t dealt with early on. It seems that a case
currently underway in Ireland involving The Pirate Bay is proving that
assessment correct.
At the moment customers of the Irish ISP Eircom cannot access The
Pirate Bay since an uncontested 2009 High Court ruling orders the ISP to
block the site. But that’s just one ISP, some people will say, and it’s
easy to switch to another. Nice try.
The major recording labels, all members of the Irish Recorded Music
Association (IRMA), now want that blockade to be extended to other
service providers. The progressive wedge the activists warned about is
getting thicker already.
To that end IRMA approached other ISPs including UPC, Imagine,
Vodafone, Digiweb and Hutchison 3G to agree to a Pirate Bay blockade. As
detailed in our earlier report, they all refused and IRMA turned to the courts.
Last month the ISPs confirmed that proceedings had been served on
their legal representatives by the big four record labels – EMI, Sony,
Universal and Warner Music – and December 17 2012 the case went before
the High Court.
The case was adjourned until January 29 but in meantime the parties
are required to meet before January 12 and further correspond by January
14 to hammer out some details. It is quite possible that the court will
ultimately decide that the Pirate Bay blockade should be extended to
these other providers.
“So what, there are other sites to use,” some people will say. Nice try.
What has transpired is that while the case appears focused on
removing access to The Pirate Bay, even bigger things are being planned.
The plaintiffs (technically EMI, Ireland) have told
the court that they are looking to achieve more than just a blockade of
the world’s biggest torrent site. In fact, they have a list of 260
other “objectionable” websites they have identified that they would also
like blocked if this attack on The Pirate Bay is a success.
What started out with Eircom agreeing to have The Pirate Bay blocked
could now potentially lead to a few other Irish ISPs having to follow
suit. In a worst case scenario that could play out to all ISPs having to
block 260 other sites on the music industry’s hit-list. Which sites?
Only they know.
So, next time you hear the argument that someone “just” wants to
block The Pirate Bay, it will be easier to understand why even people
who don’t support the site are against it. One thing definitely leads to
another in this game, and who knows where we’ll end up.